Shampoo, shower gel and terry towels are what Selina Freitag, German ski jumper, received for coming first in the Two Night Tour qualifications in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, Monday December 30. At the end of the competition, which is the equivalent of the Four Tremplins tour in the women’s ski jumping circuit, she denounced the differences in bonuses between women and men, on the German channel ARD.
A German skier rewarded in competition… with shower gel
A German skier rewarded in competition… with shower gel
(SARAH CALAMAND / ALADINE ZAIANE – RADIO FRANCE)
“For men, a victory in qualifying earns 3 000 euros, explains Selina Freitag to the ARD. Here I received a bag containing shower gel, shampoo and four towels. Basically, I was told: ‘Here, sorry, unfortunately we didn’t have a 500 note available’. I don’t want to complain too much, but it really shows the differences.”
In the process, the ski jumper receives support from her coach, Heinz Kuttin: “Women also want to earn some money. It’s time to take a step in this direction […] even if a lot of things have evolved positively in recent years.” The sports director of the German Ski Federation admits that“we definitely need to think about this: for the moment, there is no prize money for qualification [au Two Nights Tour, dont c’est la première édition]”. “The towel and the shower gel were a bit of a shame. The smartest way to go is to give nothing at all”he believes.
Outside of qualifications, women receive many bonuses during ski jumping competitions, but these remain lower than those of men. According to Swiss media Blick, a victory in the Women’s World Cup brings 4,300 euros to women, compared to 13,000 euros to men. Concerning the Two Nights Tour, the best athlete in the general classification wins 9,400 euros, while, among the men, the victorious athlete of the Four Springboards tour wins almost 100,000 euros.
